A common question that often comes up when it's time for food introductions is "can a baby without teeth really chew?" A completely natural concern, with an answer that speaks volumes about the amazing and fascinating skills of children.
The good news is that babies can chew just fine without teeth. Young children process food with their tongue, palate, and toothless jaws. Children don't get their molars until they're a little older, often over 1 year old, and waiting until then to introduce solid foods can have negative consequences for their development.
Purees don't provide the same exercise
When spoon-feeding purees, the baby misses out on the opportunity to practice chewing because purees don't require it. In fact, it can be tricky for babies to handle purees in their mouths. This is because purees (especially those with small pieces in them) easily get smeared around uncontrollably throughout the mouth and don't trigger the same reflex to chew or move the tongue around as chunks of food do.
Chewing is a reflex
With food pieces, the child must bite off the food, move it around in the mouth, chew it, and then swallow it. Our chewing reflex is something we are born with, but we still need to practice chewing food.
Good food to practice chewing with
To learn to chew, a child needs chewable food that they can easily handle in their mouth. That's why we love long, soft pieces of food. These foods trigger both the biting and chewing reflexes.
Even large pieces of food that children can chew and suck on are good for practicing oral motor skills. Think chew toys made of solid food - for example, mango core, celery stick, spare ribs (without loose pieces of cartilage and bone), the inside of a pineapple, bread crust, corn on the cob, etc.
Summary
Babies can chew without teeth.
They use their tongue, palate, and toothless jaws to process their food.
Babies need to learn to chew. Give your child time and opportunity to practice chewing appropriate foods.
Good foods for practicing chewing: Long, soft pieces of food that are easy to grasp and can be mashed with the palate. Large pieces of food to gnaw and suck on are also good.
We are here for you as a parent to provide encouragement and support through your child's food adventure. Introducing food should feel safe and be fun for both young and old.
/Elin Oresten
Lic. nutritionist and founder of Knatteplock.
